For the road warrior on your list, check out the 1 GB leather USB drive from AllComponents: a very classy flash drive decked out in an upscale blend of black leather and brushed aluminum.  Also nicely designed is the Iogear Wi-Fi finder, a second generation, key-chain-sized device that reveals the presence of Wi-Fi signals within 500 feet — although you’ll still have to open your laptop to figure out if they’re open or closed networks. And then there’s always the Bose QuietComfort 2 noise-cancelling headphones — pricey at a never-discounted $299, but on long plane flights, every one you see wearing them looks very comfortable.

Back home in the kitchen, here are two possibilities. The Soehnle Bretagne electronic scale is a sleek stainless steel model with an LCD display, gram-to-ounce conversion and an 11-pound capacity, so you can use it for weighing packages as well. On the entertainment side, the Audiovox VE705 under-cabinet LCD TV has a 7-inch 16:9 drop-down screen, a cable-ready tuner, built-in AM/FM radio and a remote for well under $200.

For the whole family, no gift lasts as long as an upgrade to the home entertainment center. If this is the year you’ve decided to go for HDTV, take a look at the Panasonic TH-42PX50U, a 42-inch plasma model. Plasma continues to have a price/performance advantage over LCDs in the larger screen sizes. Moreover, Panasonic makes its own plasma “glass” and remains a leader in reproducing deep blacks and high contrast. This model includes the latest connectors such as HDMI and CableCARD, neither of which you may need now, but may be glad to have down the road. And while Panasonic isn’t the cheapest brand available, it’s widely available at good discounts.

If you already have the big screen — or you’re not ready to replace your current television — then think about upgrading your sound; it’s one of those psychological oddities that great surround sound seems actually to improve your picture. There are two interesting options out now that would permit an almost immediate set-up on Christmas morning. The first is Sony’s DAV-FX100W wireless DVD home theater system. It’s an excellent progressive-scan DVD changer, plus a full AM/FM receiver, along with a small box that wirelessly connects to the six speakers required for true surround sound. Distribute the speakers around the room and in ten minutes you’re watching movies in surround-sound with no wires to run.

An alternative to wireless is the Yamaha YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector — which promises to replace the need for multiple speakers with a single box. When this appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show last year, observers were dubious, but in the year since the YSP-1 has received surprisingly good notices from audiophiles. The Sound Projector is forty inches long, about seven inches high and deep — and contains something like 40 tiny individual speakers, 42 individual amplifiers and two woofers. Through some deep psycho-acoustical science, it simulates the effects of having speakers arranged around the room. Best of all, according to the audiophiles, the YSP-1 has a very high WAF — that’s Wife Acceptance Factor— which may make up for the $1000+ pricetag.

Slingbox The Slingbox sits on top of your TV and transmits via the Web whatever video you'd like, to your computer wherever you are.

What about the early adopter on your list — the one who always has to be first on the block?  That’s often tricky, because leading edge technology can often turn into a major headache. But this year there’s a brand-new gadget that’s already getting very good buzz: the Slingbox.  The Slingbox connects to your TV and then transmits via the Web whatever video you’d like — live television, TiVo, DVDs — to your computer anywhere in the world. Your early adopter can sit in his London hotel room and watch the local news from home: that’s way cool by any measure. 

Finally, if you’re looking for high-tech bling, take a spin through Neiman Marcus.  If you’re not ready to spring for the $840 crystal-studded Valentino iPod case, there’s the $395 Dolce & Gabbana gold snakeskin MP3 case. Or you could go for the Swarovksi crystal look, in an optical mouse at $100 or $35 crystal mobile phone earbuds.  And Neiman Marcus offers what must be the ultimate early adopter gadget: the $3.5 million M400 Skycar, the world's first "personal vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft." The Skycar is a three-wheeled, folding-wing craft that can travel 350 miles per hour— and it gets 21 MPG on environmentally-correct alcohol.  Come to think of, Santa might just want that one for himself.  Rudolph, watch your back. 

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